Something about You and I
by IamMu-chan
Summary: "Sam returns to a place where the memories of him are overwhelming...the forest, the bar...the couch." After Freddie inherits a run-down bar from his father in Nebraska, he and Sam spend time in a new place, with new opportunities, bringing them closer together, and the events that follow change their relationship forever - not necessarily in the best way. SEDDIE


**Something about you and I**

_Okay, so I got this really weird idea for a Seddie story...was listening to the __You and I __cover by Elizabeth Gilles and this whole cool plot for a Seddie story formed in my mind and I just couldn't shake it! _

_Follow me on Twitter: Nix_Heyns_

_Find me on YouTube: IamMuchan7_

_Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly...if I did the show wouldn't have had half the success it has and it would only be about Seddie. So thank goodness!_

**Prologue**

_It's been a long time since I came around_

_It's been a long time but I'm back in town_

_..._

_There's something, something about this place_

It had been a little over two years since she had last been here. She sat staring out of the window, a seemingly bored expression plastered on her face, but her eyes took in every detail that passed her as they pulled off of the highway onto a smaller side road that she recognised all too well. The faded sign on the corner looked a bit more worn since the last time she saw it, but the fading did not keep her from knowing what the sign said: _Welcome to Neligh! The seat of Antelope County._

She sighed and shifted around in her seat, turning her back to the window and resting her head against the two large suitcases that were squashed in next to her instead – obviously one suitcase each was not enough for the two girls who were currently seated in front, one of them humming along to the country tune that was playing through the trucks radio. Sam eyed her two best friends, amazed at what a trio they made; Carly's brunette hair fell straight across her shoulders, bobbing slightly as she nodded her head to the beat of the music. Her nails were perfectly manicured as they strummed across her exposed knee, the dark blue summer dress she had picked out for the plane ride hugging her form tightly before it fell gently across her thighs. Sam loved her best friend more than anything and she smiled at the gold charm bracelet she wore around her wrist; Sam had bought it for her when they were seventeen and every year she contributed an extra charm to fill it.

Sam's own blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail to keep her curls at bay, but the length of her hair made it difficult since Sam would always sit on or entrap her hair in some form, so either way she was fighting a losing battle. She was dressed in denim shorts, a dark green checked shirt and high heeled black boots which were so old that the fake leather had begun to peel with age. Sam hated heels, but she hated being shorter than all her friends more, so her high heeled black boots had become her new sneakers whenever she was out with her friends.

Sam stretched and knocked her elbow against one of the suitcases, making her sigh in frustration. Their ride from the airport was a spacious double cab, so Sam had more than enough room to herself despite the two suitcases next to her, yet she was still rather annoyed that she had to share her seat with them.

"So, why couldn't these two suitcases go on the back of the truck again?" Sam yelled over the loud music, catching the girls' attention and forcing them to turn the music down. Carly threw her a knowing look, warning her to behave, but Sam paid no heed to it.

"Don't look at me like that Carls," Sam pointed at Carly, wagging her finger, "I only agreed to come on this trip because _Dorothy_ here said it would be fun; she didn't say anything about me having to lug ten huge suitcases around."

Carly rolled her eyes and smiled knowingly at Sam, "Don't exaggerate Sam – Dot and I each have two suitcases and a vanity case; it's not that bad!"

It was now Sam's turn to roll her eyes at how Carly found it normal to pack two suitcases for a two week trip, and a chuckle came from Dorothy at her expression.

"You won't be lugging around any suitcases Sam," she said, her one hand resting on the steering wheel while the other gestured to the back of the truck, "That's what Tom is for!"

Tom was Dorothy's older brother who was currently perched on the back of the truck, the wind whipping through his dark chestnut hair as they sped along the pot-holed road. Sam's eyes strayed towards him, noticing once more how little alike Dot and her brother looked. Dot was a pretty, petite girl with striking auburn hair that framed her heart-shaped face perfectly and allowed her dazzling green eyes to stand out from her small features. She was pale and had a few freckles dotting her nose and cheeks, but nothing too drastic to distract from her eyes. She was book smart and was rarely found outside; she preferred to stay indoors with her books and her laptop which she seemed to always be typing on. She was studying English Literature and wished to become a novelist one day, so one could not blame her for constantly jotting down ideas, even when in conversation.

Her brother, Tom, was completely different from Dot; his chestnut hair was closer to dark brown than red, and his skin was a deep bronze which came from working out in the sun a lot. He didn't have green eyes like his sister, but chocolate-brown ones instead, and he was well-built and muscular. Sam couldn't help but admire his build, and she tore her eyes away before he noticed her staring at him.

"Okay fine," Sam surrendered at Dots reassurance, "But please warn me if we are about to end up in Oz."

"Oz?" Carly questioned her and Dot sighed, shaking her head.

"Come on Carls!" Sam said, sitting forward and adding an edge of urgency to her voice, "We are heading to a _farm_ in _Nebraska_ with a girl called _Dorothy_...I expect we'll be following the yellow brick road soon enough!"

Carly couldn't help but laugh as Sam sat back with a satisfied smirk, noticing the disapproving look that Dot threw her way through the rear view mirror.

"Just kidding Dotty," Sam waved her hand towards her friend, sending a small wink her way which resulted in a grateful smile.

"You nut," she sighed, slowing down a little as the road they were on turned from tar to dust, causing the car to rattle violently on the uneven ground.

"It's my fault," Carly said apologetically, "Ever since I took Sam to watch _Wicked_ all she can refer to are those characters. Yet she still won't admit that she liked it!" Carly teased, sticking her tongue out at Sam who responded in the same manner.

They had already passed through the main town, and Sam had successfully managed to distract herself from paying attention to it, but the car was quiet again and the main point she had wanted to avoid came into view on her left before she expected it. The steady flat terrain that they had gotten used to along Highway 275 did not meet them after they had passed through the small town, but a thick expanse of trees greeted them instead. Sam didn't like the dense, lush forest with trees that seemed to stretch on forever; they reminded her too much of _him_.

"_Wow, you don't see that every day!" Sam said excitedly as she pressed her nose against the window of the RV Spencer was carefully manoeuvring along the ice-slicked road, lined on either side by an endless growth of snow-tipped trees._

"_Spot the city girl!" Freddie said to no one in particular and Sam turned around to stick her tongue out at him in defence._

"_Says the city boy," she retaliated and she saw him flush a little at her remark._

"_Well, not for long," Freddie crossed his arms defiantly as Carly left Spencer at the front of the RV and plopped herself down next to Sam instead._

"_You're not planning on staying here are you?" she asked, full of concern, "You've barely even seen the town! Let alone the place that was left to you."_

_Freddie shrugged and averted his eyes from her stern gaze, "I don't know...I guess we'll just have to see what happens. Who knows, maybe I'll love it here." _

_Carly sighed and leant over the table while Sam busied herself with counting the electricity poles they were passing. _

"_Are you sure you don't want to come to New York with us?" she asked for what felt like the hundredth time, "I'm pretty sure you'll fall in love with a college there as soon as you arrive! You don't have to hang around here for two weeks."_

_Freddie was about to open his mouth to protest when Sam interrupted, "Aw, leave him be Carly! If he wants to stay and play cowboy and nubs let him – you and I are going to have a rockin' time in New York together!"_

_Sam swore she saw Freddie smile at her, but when she turned to look at him his face was settled in a serious frown again and she thought she might have imagined it._

"_Don't worry kiddo!" Spencer shouted from upfront "I'll be staying over in Clearwater with Socko's cousins and I'll come by to make sure he's doing alright. You girls have fun in New York...without me!"_

_Carly shook her head at her brother; it was clear that he was pouting because she and Sam were going to explore New York without him, but he also couldn't say no to seeing Socko's cousins again – apparently they were the coolest people of his own age that he knew. _

"_I have to do this Carly," Freddie said, grabbing her attention again, "It's not that I don't want to come to New York with you, it's just that...it's my _dad_..."_

_Carly nodded in understanding, squeezing his hand as she got up to go and join Spencer again. There was no way she was going to convince Freddie otherwise; he could be as stubborn as Sam when he wanted to be. As she left Sam slid her knees out from under her and sat down across from Freddie, fiddling with one of her curls._

"_I know it seems stupid," she heard him say, and she looked up to find him scratching at a small chip in the plastic covering of the table, "I mean, I don't know him...I never did. It's always been just me and mom you know?" he looked up at her and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, you probably don't want to hear this..."_

_Sam kept quiet, her eyes fixed on his, a mutual understanding falling between them. No, Sam usually didn't care about what Freddie had to say, but she wasn't about to stop him. If he needed to rant she would let him do it. Her keeping silent was the best way to show him that he could trust her in that moment – she would be there for him in her own sort of way._

"_It's always been me and mom...I wondered about him of course. Who he was, what he was like?" Freddie continued, his eyes back on his hands, "I used to ask mom about him all the time when I was younger, but she didn't like to talk about him. And then that damn letter came..." he trailed off._

_Sam watched him as several different emotions ran their way across his face. For a seventeen year old boy this was a lot to take in and Freddie didn't have the hardest shell. He wasn't like her – she could deal with almost anything that was flung her way with a smile and a kick-ass attitude, but Freddie was a lot more fragile when it came to these things. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to protect him from the confusion she was sure he was feeling. _

"_He didn't even know me, but he left me everything..." he continued suddenly, looking up again and meeting her eyes, "Even though he left me he thought of me all the time – at least, that's what his letter said. I feel like I owe it to him to come out here and at least look at the place. At least _try_ and do what he asked of me..."_

_He ended his little rant and looked out of the window at the passing trees, his eyes a little brighter than usual. Sam watched him, not knowing what to say. Instead she reached over and grasped his hand in hers, giving it a tight squeeze which he returned with a grateful smile._

"_I'm scared Sam," he admitted, his eyes never meeting hers. She squeezed his hand tighter and tried not to sound commanding as she whispered "Don't be..."_

"_Here we are!" Spencer shouted from up front, cutting the moment short, "Welcome to River-"_

"-side Park is up front, and then it's just a couple more miles until our farm!" Dorothy announced as they rounded a corner in the road and the large wooden sign indicating that the Riverside Park entrance was situated to their left came into view.

Sam snapped back to the current situation as the truck hit a small pothole in the dirt road. She had a sharp intake of breath at the memory that pulled at her chest and tried to disguise it with a cough. Carly looked back at her, trying to hide the look of concern on her face, but Sam saw it clearly. Carly didn't know what had happened all those years ago and she never tried to find out either. Sam wondered whether Freddie might have told her and if Carly was keeping the fact that she knew from Sam, but she dismissed that idea almost as soon as it crossed her mind. Freddie wouldn't talk about it...it was much too personal – there were too many unresolved arguments and feelings – to tell Carly anything.

Sam glanced at the entrance of the park as they passed it slowly, telling herself not to look but being unable to prevent herself from doing so; just inside the entrance surrounded by trees was a building that Sam knew was lying just out of her sight. A building filled with music, old-fashioned bar stools, pool tables and couches...one which was particularly comfortable. Sam shook her head at the memories that were threatening to surface and Carly's eyebrows knitted tighter together as she watched her friend battling with something she couldn't begin to understand.

_xxxxxxx_

"This is where you two will be staying," Dot opened the door to a large bedroom with two spacious single beds, a joining bathroom and a window seat that looked over the river than ran straight through their property.

"Wow, this is beautiful!" Carly said, entering the room and dumping her handbag and vanity case on the nearest bed before heading towards the window.

"It's like a five star hotel!" Sam agreed, following Carly in and dragging her bulging suitcase behind her. She dropped it near the other bed before turning to Dot, "You never told us you were loaded!"

Dot laughed uncomfortably at Sam's remark, "We're not Sam, I swear!" she insisted, "We just know in what to invest is all...and comfort is big in my house!"

"Yeah, well, if comfort was so big why didn't mom and dad invest in an elevator instead of a swimming pool?" Tom remarked as he entered the room with Carly's two huge suitcases in hand and one of Dots strapped to his back "Since I seem to be the bellboy around here I'd really appreciate it!"

Sam laughed as he placed Carly's bags just within the doorway, "Do you need some help?" she asked.

"You already refused to have me carry your bag up, trust me, you've helped enough already." Tom replied, winking at her.

"Yeah, sorry" Carly apologised again, heading over and tugging at one of Sam's curls, "Sam really doesn't know how to accept a gentleman's help. Miss Stubborn here wants to do everything herself."

"I'm exactly the same" Tom replied, "Usually I put up a better fight when I come across a stubborn girl...you haven't heard the last of me Miss Stubborn."

"It's Sam," she said, reaching for her bag, but he got there before her and he lifted it up and onto the bed for her before she could protest. She tightened her lips and raised an eyebrow at him but he only smiled and headed out the door again.

"Sam says thank you!" Carly shouted after him, eying her friend sneakily.

"I'm sure she'll find a way to thank me later!" Tom called out from down the hall and she began to feel her cheeks flush.

As soon as Tom was out of earshot Dot closed the door then she and Carly turned to face Sam, eyebrows raised in suspicion.

"What?" Sam asked innocently.

"What's the deal Sam?" Dot asked as Carly nodded.

"You never offer to help with anything – never – and now you want to carry your own suitcase and even help carry other people's suitcases?"

Sam looked between her friends each with matching, mischievous grins on their faces and she knew they were looking way more into this than they should.

"Don't get carried away girls," she said sitting down on the bed and unzipping her bag, "Your brother is very good looking, Dot, and I suspect I will be getting my flirt on but that is as far as it goes."

She pulled a fat cake out of her bag and unwrapped it as her two friends exchanged looks of glee.

"Sam..." Carly started, moving forward to sit next to her friend, "Aren't you tired of just hooking up with guys? You haven't had a boyfriend since-"

Sam held her breath. Don't say his name...whatever Carly did she couldn't say his name!

"-school" Carly continued after a small pause. Sam breathed normally again. She knew Carly had wanted to say his name but had thought better of it. She still didn't know what had happened between her two best friends, but she knew that it was bad and that she needed to try and respect Sam's decision to never see or speak of him again.

"And Tom is really nice and you are totally his type!" Dot added excitedly, sitting across from Sam on the other bed.

"Are you two trying to hook me up?" Sam asked incredulously.

"No!" they said as one and Sam narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

"No," Carly reiterated, "You've had enough hook up's Sam and it's becoming too much. How many guys have you brought home in the last few months?"

"I never do anything more with them than-" Sam started.

"I know!" Carly said sternly, "I know you don't sleep around or anything Sam and I'm not saying you do. So far as I know you have never slept with anyone and I respect you for that...but I don't like the reputation you are making for yourself around campus...so we don't want to hook you up. We want to find you someone who isn't a hook up."

"We're scared you get hurt Sam," Dot added, "That's why we brought you here..."

"What?" Sam said, her head snapping up to look at Carly who was waving her hands at Dot to stop talking, "What do you mean 'That's why we brought you here'?"

She stared at Carly accusingly who had a look of guilt on her face and was very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Look Sam," she said, standing up and backing away slightly, "Dot has been inviting us to come here for ages and I always said no because I _know_ you don't want to be here. I thought that after some time things would get better though and we could all finally come here – which we have – but there is still something...well...not right with you."

"You guys begged me to come!" Sam said, standing up now, "You know I didn't want to but I still said yes! How can you say there's something wrong with me? I'm here aren't I?"

"Look Sam," Dot said standing up and facing her "I haven't known you as long as Carly, but I've seen you on your good days and I've seen you on your bad days, and lately all I've been seeing are the bad ones. Carly is worried about you! We don't know what happened to you over here but we feel you've been avoiding it long enough! You need to face whatever happened here and move on because right now you're a mess!"

Sam pulled her arm back, ready to slap Dot as hard as she could but Carly lunged forward and grabbed her arm, stopping her attempt and whirling Sam around to face her.

"Sam!" she shouted, "Don't!"

"You two don't know anything!" Sam shouted back at her pulling her arm out of Carly's grasp.

"Then tell us Sam!" Carly shouted desperately, tears starting to well in her eyes as Sam headed to the doorway, "Tell us so we can help! I've already lost one of my best friends because of this...I don't want to lose you too!"

Sam stopped in her tracks, her hand on the door knob. She couldn't stand the desperate sadness in her friend's voice and she bit at her lip to keep from opening the door and running away. Running away was always the easiest thing to do.

"You're not losing me Carls," Sam said quietly, turning around and putting her back against the door. "It's just...a lot of stuff happened here that you don't know about and I've wanted to tell you for so long but...it just hurts so much."

"I know" Carly said, smiling through her tears, "And I know why you agreed to come with us which already gives me an idea as to what it's about."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"You agreed to come with only after you found out that, well, he wasn't here anymore." Dot said, shrugging. It seemed like Dot and Carly really were in it together with this plot.

Sam felt the pull in her chest that always came at the mention of him and she shook the feeling away as quickly as she could.

"I don't know how he hurt you Sam," Carly said "But please...I need to know why. And I think it's time you finally talk about it too."

Sam sighed. She had to agree with her friends; she had been carrying a heavy burden over the last two years and, honestly, she needed to release it before it crushed her.

"I've been selfish haven't I?" Sam said, giving in. "Alright...I'll tell you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_What happened between Sam and Freddie when they were seventeen? _

_So, I had this idea but I'm losing motivation to continue this story...please leave me a review and let me know whether you think I should continue with this? Much appreciated!_

_IamMu-chan_


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